I Don't Know What I'm Doing: The Snap Wilson Dynasty

[Snap Wilson]

Lem Barker, SP: 13-5, 3.22 ERA (with Cards)
The acquisition that put us over the top, I'm convinced of that. He's a pending free agent, and he wants a two-year deal at $2.6 million per. I can live with that, so I meet his demand.

Pete Vuckovich, SP: 20-8, 3.82 ERA
Our pennant-clinching win was his 20th of the year. He won't win the Cy Young Award (Fernando went 25-3 with a league-leading 2.48 ERA), but he had a great year nonetheless. His 20 wins were second in the league. He finished third in innings pitched (271), and third in fewest hits/nine, opposing batting average, WHIP and baserunners per nine. His 176 strikeouts were good for sixth in the league.

It's Vuke's walk year, so I decide to see if I can get an extension signed. He wants a four-year deal worth slightly under $13 million. I decide to up the per-year, but make it a three-year deal, the final year a team option.

John Martin, SP: 16-9, 3.94
Established himself as a solid #3 starter. His 16 wins were good enough to tie for sixth in the league. His control was impeccable, only walking 42 batters in 208 innings, the third best ratio in the league. He struck out 96, giving him over a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio, always good.

Sylvio Martinez, SP: 12-7, 2.81 ERA
Second in the NL in ERA to Fernando, he kept the ball down, only allowing seven home runs in 169 innings (third best ratio in the league).

Bob Forsch, SP: 13-11, 4.20 ERA
He was up and down the whole year, eventually being demoted to the #5 starter, but he pitched the second most innings on the staff behind Vuckovich. His walk ratio was even better than Martin's, allowing 42 walks in 240 innings, the second best ratio in the league.

The bullpen:

John Fulgham: 3-7, 1 save, 5.76 ERA
Donnie Moore: 6-3, 21 saves, 2.37 ERA
John Littlefield: 4-6, 1 save, 2.87 ERA
Jim Otten: 3-2, 3 saves, 3.40 ERA
Jim Kaat: 3-1, 1 save, 3.95 ERA
George Frazier, 0-4, 21 saves, 3.57 ERA

Not bad, but not great. Moore finished the year as our primary closer, after I tried to give the job to Frazier. Kaat led our team with nine holds.

Next up: The NLCS!

[Snap Wilson]

NLCS, GAME ONE: Nolan Ryan (15-9, 4.32 ERA) vs. John Martin (16-9, 3.94 ERA)
Due to having my season go down to the wire, I couldn't rest Barker or Vuke, so John Martin will be getting the start today. Houston doesn't hit as well against lefty pitching, so this might be a blessing in disguise.

Houston's lineup:

Joe Morgan, 2B: .279-15-94
Art Howe, 3B: .275-8-81
Terry Puhl, LF: .318-9-86
Cesar Cedeno, CF: .280-7-94
Jamie Quirk, C: .298-9-74
Jeffrey Leonard, RF: .290-4-77
Dave Bergman, 1B: .300-4-40
Rafael Landestoy, SS: .272-1-58

Top of the 1st
Morgan flies out to center. Howe singles up the middle. Puhl pops up to short. Cedeno grounds out to short. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 1st
Henderson grounds one to short but beats out the throw for an infield single. I debate whether or not I should run on Quirk's arm (51) but decide against it for right now. Herr flies out to left. Molitor lines out to third. Ryan makes about a dozen throws to first and even calls a pitchout. They're worried about Rickey. Hernandez pops it up to short. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Top of the 2nd
Quirk flies out to left. Leonard flies out to center. Bergman grounds out to first. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 2nd
Durham strikes out. Murphy grounds out to short. Nolan strikes out. The Ryan Express at work. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Top of the 3rd
Landestoy singles. Ryan strikes out attempting to bunt. Morgan flies out to left. Howe singles, Landestoy to third, Howe taking second on the throw. Puhl grounds out to short. (Whew!) Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 3rd
Ozzie beats out an infield single. Martin had a pretty good year with the bat (.261), but I elect to bunt. Martin sacrifices Ozzie to second. Henderson walks. Men on first and second. Herr forces Henderson at second, Ozzie to third. Runners at the corners. Molitor grounds to short. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Top of the 4th
Cedeno singles. Quirk singles. Leonard flies out to left. Bergman grounds back to the pitcher, but his throw to second is off target. Bases loaded. Landestoy cranks a double off the wall in center field. Cedeno and Quirk score, Bergman to third. Houston 2, St. Louis 0. Ryan flies out to center, Bergman scoring. Houston 3, St. Louis 0. Morgan flies out to center. The Astros lead 3-0.

Bottom of the 4th
Hernandez leads off with a single. Hernandez takes second on a wild pitch. Durham grounds out to first, Hernandez to third. Murphy strikes out (naturally). Nolan flies out to left. Houston 3, St. Louis 0.

Top of the 5th
Howe beats out an infield hit. Puhl singles, Howe to third. Cedeno grounds to third, Puhl taking second. Quirk singles, Howe scoring, Puhl to third. Houston 4, St. Louis 0. Leonard pops up to second. Bergman grounds back to the pitcher. The Astros lead 4-0.

Bottom of the 5th
Smith grounds out to the catcher. Martin strikes out. Henderson singles. Herr doubles, scoring Rickey. Houston 4, St. Louis 1. Molitor singles, scoring Herr! Houston 4, St. Louis 2. Molitor takes second on the throw. Hernandez walks. We've taken Ryan past 100 pitches. Durham walks, loading the bases. Murphy strikes out. Gah, you, Murphy. Jesus. The Astros lead 4-2.

Top of the 6th
Landestoy doubles, his third hit of the day. Jose Cruz pinch hits for Ryan. Landestoy steals third. Cruz grounds out to third. Landestoy is thrown out trying to steal home (you moron!). Morgan walks. Howe pops up to short. Houston 4, St. Louis 2

Bottom of the 6th
Greg Minton pitching for the Astros. Nolan grounds out to second. Ozzie walks. Lentine pinch hits for Martin. Ozzie steals second. Lentine walks. Henderson flies out to right. Herr singles, scoring Ozzie, Lentine to second. Houston 4, St. Louis 3. Molitor strikes out(!)

Top of the 7th
Jim Kaat comes in to pitch. Puhl flies out to left. Cedeno grounds out to third. Quirk grounds out to first. Houston 4, St. Louis 3

Bottom of the 7th
Hernandez leads off with a double. Durham grounds to short, Hernandez taking third. Murphy walks. Nolan flies out to left, Hernandez tagging up and scoring! Houston 4, St. Louis 4. Ozzie grounds out to third. The game is tied 4-4.

Top of the 8th
Leonard leads off with a double. Gary Woods comes in to pinch hit. Woods flies out to left. Landestoy to the plate. Leonard steals third. Landestoy grounds to second. Alan Ashby pinch hitting. Kaat throws a wild pitch, Leonard scoring. F**k. Houston 5, St. Louis 4. Ashby flies out to center. Houston 5, St. Louis 4. Damnit, damnit, damnit. If this holds up, it's a stupid way to lose.

Bottom of the 8th
Joe Sambito in to pitch. Zisk pinch hits for Kaat. Zisk flies out to right. Rickey walks. Herr singles, and then Woods commits an error in center! Both runners move up a base. Men on second and third. Molitor walks. Bases loaded for Keith. KEITH DOUBLES!!! Henderson scores, Herr scores, Molitor to third. St. Louis 6, Houston 5!!! KEEEEIIIIITTTHHH! Durham grounds to second. Murphy grounds to second. St. Louis leads 6-5.

Top of the 9th
Donnie Moore in to pitch. Morgan walks. Howe singles, Morgan to third. Oh crap, here we go. Puhl flies out to left, scoring Morgan. Houston 6, St. Louis 6. Cedeno forces Howe at second. Quirk lines out to second. Christ, can we hold a lead? Nice pitching, Donnie. Game tied 6-6.

Bottom of the 9th
Dave Smith in to pitch. Nolan flies out to center. Ozzie flies out to center. I decide to just have Moore hit and pitch one more inning. Moore flies out to right. Houston 6, St. Louis 6.

Top of the 10th
Leonard grounds out to third. Woods flies out to right. Reynolds grounds out to second. Houston 6, St. Louis 6.

Bottom of the 10th
Rickey singles to lead off the inning. Herr beats out an infield single. Molitor beats out an infield hit, loading the bases for... KEITH!!! And he... SINGLES UP THE MIDDLE! HENDERSON SCORES! M-V-P! M-V-P!

The Cardinals win Game One, 7-6!

(Vultured) Win: Moore (1-0)
Loss: Dave Smith (0-1)

Player of the Game: Keith Hernandez, 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs. Tommy Herr also had four hits, as did Art Howe on Houston. Cards up 1-0 in the series, baby!

[Snap Wilson]

ALCS
Texas beat Milwaukee 5-1 as Danny Darwin only allowed one run over six innings and then gave way to Sparky Lyle after six innings, even though Darwin had only thrown 61 pitches. The only reason I could figure why the computer would make such a move is so Sparky could get the three-inning save. Hilarious.

Vuke signs!!!
Vuckovich agrees to sign my proposed deal, which is $3.5 million per year for three years, the third year a team option. He'll get a $500k bonus if he wins the Cy Young award. Happy to have him in the fold.

[RoyalsBlue]

Good job with this, Snap! This has been really fun to read. Now, if you could just explain what happened with the Royals and my boy, George Brett, it would be appreciated! Also, how did Quirk become an Astro?

[Snap Wilson]

NLCS, GAME TWO: Vern Ruhle (13-11, 3.59 ERA) vs. Len Barker (13-5, 3.22 ERA)
Ruhle has pitched well against us, with a 1.93 ERA in his starts against us.

Top of the 1st
Morgan singles. Cedeno walks. Both runners move up on a double steal. Jose Cruz walks. Puhl flies out to right, Morgan scoring, Cedeno to third. Quirk grounds into a double play. Houston 1, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 1st
Henderson grounds out to short. Herr flies out to left. Molitor grounds out to short. Houston 1, St. Louis 0

Top of the 2nd
Leonard singles. Howe grounds to short and Ozzie turns it for a double play! Landestoy flies out to left. Houston 1, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 2nd
Hernandez walks on four pitches. Durham doubles, scoring Hernandez! The game is tied at 1-1. Murphy strikes out. Nolan flies out to center, Durham taking third. Ozzie lines out to short. Houston 1, St. Louis 1

Top of the 3rd
Ruhle grounds out to third. Henderson flies out to left. Cedeno strikes out. Houston 1, St. Louis 1

Bottom of the 3rd
Barker singles. Rickey gets plunked. Herr grounds out to first, both runners advancing. Molitor flies to right, scoring Barker, Henderson to third. St. Louis leads 2-1. Hernandez flies out to right. St. Louis 2, Houston 1

Top of the Fourth
Cruz flies out to left. Puhl grounds out to second. Quirk grounds out to short. St. Louis 2, Houston 1

Bottom of the Fourth
Durham lines out to third. Murphy doubles. Nolan flies out to center. Smith beats out an infield single, Murphy to third. Barker singles(!), Murphy scoring, Ozzie to second. St. Louis leads 3-1. Ozzie gets thrown out stealing third. St. Louis 3, Houston 1.

Top of the 5th
Leonard grounds out to short. Howe grounded to short. Landestoy walks. Ruhle grounds to first. St. Louis 3, Houston 1.

Bottom of the 5th
Henderson grounds out to short. Herr flies out to left. Molitor grounds to first. St. Louis 3, Houston 1.

Top of the 6th
Morgan singles. Cedeno forces Morgan at second. Cruz pops up to short. Cedeno steals second. Puhl walks. Quirk grounds back to the pitcher. St. Louis 3, Houston 1.

Bottom of the 6th
Hernandez walks. Durham walks. Murphy flies out to left. Minton comes in to pitch. Nolan grounds out to first. Ozzie walks. To pinch hit or not to pinch hit? Barker has thrown 102 pitches. I decide it's time. Lentine comes in to pinch hit. Lentine strikes out. Grr. St. Louis 3, Houston 1.

Top of the 7th
Littlefield comes in to pitch. Leonard walks. Howe sacrifices Leonard to second. Bergman doubles, scoring Leonard. St. Louis leads 3-2. Gary Woods pinch hits for Minton. Woods grounds to third, but the throw is off target. Bergman is safe at third, Woods at first. Morgan flies out to right, Bergman scoring. Game tied 3-3. Nice job, relievers. I should have known better. Cedeno singles. Cruz grounds out to first. Houston 3, St. Louis 3.

Bottom of the 7th
Frank LaCorte pitching. Henderson grounds out to short. Herr grounds out to second. Molitor walks. Hernandez singles. Durham grounds out to short. Houston 3, St. Louis 3.

Top of the 8th
Puhl singles. Puhl is thrown out stealing! Quirk grounds out to short. Leonard doubles. Howe grounds out to second. Houston 3, St. Louis 3

Bottom of the 8th
Murphy strikes out. Nolan flies out to left. Joe Sambito comes in to pitch. Ozzie singles. Dempsey pinch hits for Littlefield. He grounds out to third. Houston 3, St. Louis 3

Top of the 9th
George Frazier comes in to pitch. Reynolds lines out to center. Alan Ashby pinch-hitting. Ashby lines out to short. Morgan doubles. Cedeno flies out to center. Houston 3, St. Louis 3.

Bottom of the 9th
Dave Smith in to pitch. Henderson flies out to right. Herr walks. Molitor singles. Hernandez forces Molitor at second, Herr to third. Durham flies out to left. Houston 3, St. Louis 3.

Top of the 10th
Cruz reaches on an error by Ozzie. Puhl grounds to short, Cruz to second. Quirk grounds to third, Cruz advancing. Leonard pops up to Nolan. Houston 3, St. Louis 3.

Bottom of the 10th
Murphy grounds back to the pitcher. Nolan strikes out. Ozzie flies out to right. Houston 3, St. Louis 3.

Top of the 11th
Howe grounds out to first. Reynolds flies out to left. Scott Loucks is in to pinch hit. Loucks walks. Loucks is thrown out stealing. Houston 3, St. Louis 3.

Bottom of the 11th
Randy Niemann in to pitch. Richie Zisk pinch hits for Frazier. Zisk singles. Henderson pops up to first. He's 0-for-5 today. Herr lines out to right. Molitor singles, Zisk to third. Hernandez pops up to short. Houston 3, St. Louis 3.

Top of the 12th
Jim Otten in to pitch. Morgan homers. Crap. Houston 4, St. Louis 3
Cedeno grounds out to short. Cruz reaches on an error by Herr. Puhl reaches on an infield single. Quirk strikes out. Puhl is caught stealing. The Astros lead 4-3.

Bottom of the 12th
Durham grounds to second. Murphy grounds out to the pitcher. Nolan singles. Tony Scott pinch hits for Ozzie. Scott singles. Ramsey pinch hits for Otten. Ramsey singles, Nolan scoring! We're tied up at four! Henderson strikes out.

Top of the 13th
Leonard grounds out to third. Howe strikes out. Reynolds grounds out to second. Houston 4, St. Louis 4

Bottom of the 13th
Herr pops up to center. Gordie Pladson in to pitch. Molitor grounds to second. Hernandez grounds out to second. Houston 4, St. Louis 4.

Top of the 14th
Houston must be out of pinch hitters. Pladson grounds out to third. Morgan walks. Cedeno singles. Morgan steals third, Cedeno steals second. Cruz singles, Morgan and Cedeno scoring. Puhl walks. Quirk singles, scoring Cruz. Puhl steals third and Quirk steals second (oh, come on). Leonard flies out to left. Howe walks. Reynolds flies out to center. Houston leads 7-4.

Bottom of the 14th
Durham grounds out to short. Murphy grounds out to third (1-for-7, way to go, big guy). Nolan strikes out. Game over.

Houston wins Game Two 7-4 to even the series.

[Snap Wilson]

Originally Posted by RoyalsBlue

Good job with this, Snap! This has been really fun to read. Now, if you could just explain what happened with the Royals and my boy, George Brett, it would be appreciated! Also, how did Quirk become an Astro?

RB, my fellow fan from the Show Me State. Quirk was traded to the 'Stros for Ken Forsch. Bad deal for KC. Not only is Forsch seven years older than Jamie, but Quirk had a nice year for the Astros (he was an All-Star, I think) while Forsch struggled with the Royals. He won 17 games, but lost 15 and had a lousy 5.45 ERA.

What happened to KC? August and September happened, my man. They were a combined 19-36 in those months. They did finish with a respectable 83 wins, but given the collapse, it could have been a lot better.

George was his usual magnificent self, hitting .326 with 29 homers and 109 RBIs. He's rated by the SISA rating thingamabob as the best batter in the game (which is accurate, because at the time, he definitely was). The Royals also got a great season out of Champ Summers (.281-33-117). Willie Wilson was hitting .344 until he went out for the year with a fractured skull (resisting the urge to make a joke here) in July, which contributed to KC's summer swoon.

The problem was the pitching, which was horrible. The rotation was Forsch, Dennis Leonard (15-15, 5.22), Larry Gura (12-18, 5.05), Mike Jones (11-13, 5.14) and Geoff Zahn (9-8, 4.99) who was acquired from Minnesota for... you're sitting down, right?... Hal McRae. Quisenberry was nice, with 28 saves and a 2.85 ERA.

Anyway, I hope the Royals recover. If not, I may need to have Snap's little brother, Flip, come in and manage them.

[Snap Wilson]

ALCS
Milwaukee evens the series behind Moose Haas, who allowed only one run over nine innings in a 5-1 win. The series is tied at one a piece.

Contract negotiations
Len Barker signed a two-year contract that will pay him slightly over $2.6 million per.

Silvio Martinez signed a three-year deal for $381k per year.

[Snap Wilson]

NLCS, GAME THREE: Pete Vuckovich (20-8, 3.82 ERA) vs. J.R. Richard (17-8, 2.83)
Somehow, we've avoided facing Richard this year. Vuke has had good success against Houston, going 3-0.

Top of the 1st
Henderson strikes out. Herr grounds out to second. Molitor grounds out to third. St. Louis 0, Houston 0

Bottom of the 1st
Morgan flies out to right. Cedeno walks. Cruz bounces into a double play. St. Louis 0, Houston 0

Top of the 2nd
Hernandez walks. Durham flies out to left. Murphy flies out to right. Nolan homers!!! Cardinals lead 2-0. Smith doubles. Vuckovich grounds out to short. St. Louis 2, Houston 0.

Bottom of the 2nd
Puhl flies out to right. Quirk strikes out. Leonard strikes out. St. Louis 2, Houston 0

Top of the 3rd
Henderson strikes out. Herr grounds out to second. Molitor strikes out. St. Louis 2, Houston 0

Bottom of the 3rd
Howe beats out an infield hit. Landestoy walks. Richards sacrifices them over. Morgan pops up to second. Cedeno gets an infield hit, Howe scoring, Landestory to third. Cruz walks, loading the bases. Puhl doubles, scoring Landestoy, Cedeno and Cruz. 4-2 Astros. Puhl is thrown out stealing third. Houston 4, St. Louis 2

Top of the 4th
Hernandez pops up to third. Durham strikes out. Murphy flies out to right. Houston 4, St. Louis 2

Bottom of the 4th
Quirk strikes out. Leonard singles. Leonard steals second. Howe homers. Houston leads 6-2. Landestoy strikes out. Richard flies out to center. Houston 6, St. Louis 2

Top of the 5th
Nolan grounds out to first. Ozzie beats out an infield hit. Ozzie steals for second, and the catcher's throw is off. Ozzie takes third. Puhl flies out to left, Ozzie scoring. Houston 6, St. Louis 3. Henderson doubles. Herr gets an infield single, Henderson to third. Molitor grounds out to short. Houston leads 6-3.

Bottom of the 5th
Morgan grounds to first. Cedeno walks. Cruz triples, Cedeno scoring. Littlefield replaces Vuckovich. Puhl pops up to the pitcher. Quirk doubles, Cruz scoring. Leonard grounds out to short. Houston leads 8-3.

Top of the 6th
Hernandez strikes out. Durham strikes out. Murphy singles. Nolan flies out to center. 8-3 Houston.

Bottom of the 6th
Howe flies out to third. Landestoy pops up to third. Richard strikes out.8-3 Houston.

Top of the 7th
Ozzie flies out to right. Lentine, pinch hitting for Littlefield, grounds out to third. Henderson grounds out to third. 8-3 Houston.

Bottom of the 7th
Fulgham pitching. Morgan grounds out to first. Cedeno grounds out to short. Cruz walks. Puhl grounds out to second.

Top of the 8th
Herr flies out to left. Molitor gets an infield hit. Hernandez forces Molitor at second. Durham walks. Murphy strikes out.

Bottom of the 8th
Quirk flies out to left. Leonard grounds out to short. Howe strikes out.

Top of the 9th
Nolan grounds out to second. Ozzie strikes out. Zisk strikes out.

Houston wins 8-3. They take a 2-1 series lead.

[Snap Wilson]

ALCS
Robin Yount goes 3-for-5 as Milwaukee wins Game Three to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Ozzie signs!
Ozzie signs for two years at $210k. I actually offered him more for longer, but he wasn't interested. Go figure.

[Snap Wilson]

NLCS, GAME FOUR: John Martin vs. Nolan Ryan
I'll keep this one short and sweet, since there wasn't much drama in it. We bombed Ryan for six runs in the first three innings, and John Martin allowed one run over six innings. We scored another four in the ninth and won 10-2. The player of the game was my personal whipping boy, Dale Murphy. He had three hits, two runs scored and three RBIs. We're going to a fifth and deciding game.

ALCS
Milwaukee clinches a World Series berth, beating Texas 9-4. Cecil Cooper hit a home run and drove in five runs.

[RoyalsBlue]

Wow...tough series you got going with the 'Stros. Better hope the bats don't go quiet in the 5th game like so frequently happens after a big run producing game. Hopefully Barker has his stuff in this decisive game 5. No matter what happens though, it's been a good season for the Cards.

Now I could see KC trading Quirk to Houston, but for Ken Forsch? Even worse was the trade of McRae for Geoff Zahn!?! Obviously John Schuerholz isn't running the boys in blue.

I don't have a problem with Flip running the team, but if Geraldine makes an appearance all bets are off.

[Snap Wilson]

Originally Posted by RoyalsBlue

I don't have a problem with Flip running the team, but if Geraldine makes an appearance all bets are off.

Ha ha. That would probably turn this into the most surreal dynasty thread on here. I would shortchange the Royals if managed both teams, though. For instance, if both they and the Cardinals were looking at the same free agent pitcher... well, I bleed Red, not Blue.

[Snap Wilson]

NLCS, GAME FIVE: Len Barker (13-5, 3.22 ERA) vs. Vern Ruhle (13-11, 3.59)
I'm going to try something new with the playoff recapping. Not crazy about the batter-by-batter rundown.

As for the game, I feel good even getting to this point. May the best team win. Let's get it on!

Top of the 1st
Barker allows a single to Cedeno and walks Puhl, but he strikes out Jamie Quirk to end the threat. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 1st
Three up, three down. Ruhle pitches a perfect first. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Top of the 2nd
Landestoy hits a two-out double, but Ruhle can't bring him in, striking out to end the inning. Barker has three K's at this point. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 2nd
Ruhle takes care of Hernandez, Murphy and Durham in order. He's got his good stuff tonight. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Top of the 3rd
Barker allows a single to Cedeno, but he retires the side without further threat. Still scoreless. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 3rd
Nolan leads off the inning with a single, our first hit of the game. Ozzie forces him at second. Barker strikes out trying to bunt Ozzie over, and then Ozzie gets caught stealing for the third out. One run strategies, they kill you. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Top of the 4th
With one out, Leonard draws a walk, and steals second. Art Howe grounds him over to third. But Rafael Landestoy leaves him there when he flies out to center. Houston 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 4th
Henderson leads off with a single, and takes second on an error by Puhl in left. Herr flies to left for the first out, bringing Molitor to the plate. Molitor doubles off the wall in left center, scoring Henderson, and the Cards draw first blood. Hernandez follows that with another double into the left-center gap and Molitor comes around to score. 2-0 Cards. Durham and Murphy ground out to end the inning, but we finally put some runs on the board. St. Louis 2, Houston 0

Top of the 5th
Vern Ruhle singles to lead off the inning. Morgan draws a walk. Cedeno bloops one to shallow center that falls in, loading the bases. Oh crap, here we go. Cruz hits one to almost the same spot, but this time Murphy is on it, and Ruhle has to hold at third. One away. Barker gets Puhl looking for a clutch strikeout! Two down. And Quirk pops it up to short. Ozzie hauls it in and we dodge a bullet. St. Louis 2, Houston 0

Bottom of the 5th
Nolan grounds it to first but Leonard bobbles it! He's safe. Ozzie singles, Nolan taking third. Barker flies out for the first out of the inning. Henderson hits a grounder to third, and Howe has no play at the plate, so he throws to first. Nolan scores. 3-0. Tommy Herr drives a pitch past the shortstop. Ozzie comes in, and Herr winds up at third base! 4-0 Cards! Molitor strikes out to end the inning, but the damage is done. St. Louis 4, Houston 0

Top of the 6th
Barker rolls, retiring the side in order. St. Louis 4, Houston 0

Bottom of the 6th
Ruhle gets Hernandez and Durham. Murphy singles, and Nolan singles to put a runner in scoring position, but Ozzie grounds out to end the inning. St. Louis 4, Houston 0

Top of the 7th
Barker gets two quick strikeouts to Ruhle and Morgan. Cedeno draws a walk and steals second. Cruz fouls off a bunch of pitches and finally gets one he likes, singling Cedeno home to put Houston on the board. With the pitcher spot up next in my lineup, I do a double switch, bring Kaat in and Tony Scott to play center. Puhl singles to put Cruz on second, but Kaat gets Jamie Quirk to ground out. St. Louis 4, Houston 1

Bottom of the 7th
Tony Scott singles to lead off the inning. Rickey singles. Herr forces Rickey at second, Scott taking third. Molitor grounds to third, Scott coming in to score. 5-1 Cards. Keith Hernandez hits a single, Herr coming around to score! 6-1 Cards! Durham grounds out. Great inning. Six outs to go. St. Louis 6, Houston 1

Top of the 8th
Leonard leads off with a walk. Howe flies out. Five outs away. Landestoy grounds out, Leonard to second. Four outs away. Bergman flies out. St. Louis 6, Houston 1 We're an inning away from the World Series.

Bottom of the 8th
Greg Minton comes in to relieve. Ozzie hits a two-out triple, but Scott leaves him stranded. On to the 9th. St. Louis 6, Houston 1

Top of the 9th
Littlefield in to close things out. Morgan grounds out to first. One away. Cedeno walks. Cruz singles. Puhl forces Cruz at second, Cedeno to third. One out away! Jamie Quirk up. We'll take this one pitch by pitch:

Called strike. 0-1.
Foul ball. 0-2.
Foul ball. Still 0-2.
Quirk doubles. Oh crap.

Cedeno comes in to score. Puhl comes in to score. 6-3 Cardinals.

I bring in Donnie Moore. Get one out, Donnie. Just one out. Jeff Leonard to the plate:

Ball. 1-0.
Ball two. 2-0. Crap.
Called strike. 2-1.
Foul ball. 2-2.
And a ground ball to third. Molitor races in, he throws to first... HE'S OUT!

CARDINALS WIN, 6-3! WE'RE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!

[Snap Wilson]

A look at the Milwaukee Brewers

Catcher
Ted Simmons: .286/.341/.471 20 home runs and 77 RBIs from the catcher spot. Not too shabby. He only threw out 29% of base stealers, so we can run on him.

First Base
Cecil Cooper: .329/.366/.523 28 home runs, 98 RBIs, 120 runs scored. The man can flat out stick. He'll give us worry.

Second Base
Don Money: .239/.308/.347 Not much of a hitter, but a good glove at second.

Third Base
Jim Ganter: .331/.377.423 Prototypical contact hitter.

Shortstop
Robin Yount: .295/.336/.470 200 hits, 21 home runs, 97 RBIs, 98 runs scored, 44 stolen bases, great in the field (102 rating at short). But other than that, he stinks. No, I kid. A .340 OBP at the top of the lineup isn't that intimidating, but I'm worried about him anyway.

Left Field
Ben Ogilvie: .354/.403/.621 28 home runs, 95 RBIs. Good lord, he's a monster. And would you believe they actually *platoon* him with...

Larry Hisle: .218/.267/.342 Come on, the game should not be this stupid.

Center Field
Gorman Thomas: .241/.320/.455 35 home runs, 104 RBIs, 95 runs scored, 71 walks, and just for the heck of it, 171 strikeouts. Man, these guys can crush the ball.

Right Field
Sixto Leczano: .277/.339/.436 Weak hitter for a right fielder, but great with the glove.

Designated Hitter
Dick Davis: .304/.341/.507 19 home runs and 70 RBIs in 408 at bats.

The Bench
Charlie Moore, C/DH/RF: .275/.304/.350 Somehow managed to get over 500 at bats shunting between three positions.

And the Brewers starting staff:

Larry Sorensen: 23-10, 3.07 ERA
Moose Haas: 14-16, 4.02 ERA
Jim Slaton: 22-5, 3.49 ERA
Paul Mitchell: 19-9, 3.68 ERA
Mike Caldwell: 15-8, 3.63

The main relievers:

Bill Castro: 3-8, 40 saves, 3.70 ERA
Jerry Augustine: 4-0, 5 saves, 3.11 ERA
Mark Littell: 1-1, 5 saves, 3.24 ERA

Castro saved 40/49, 81%... not that impressive.


Next post:

Game One of the World Series!

Vuckovich vs. Sorenson, two pitchers that were traded for each other in real life. Let's get it on!

[Snap Wilson]

WORLD SERIES, GAME ONE: Pete Vuckovich (20-8, 3.82 ERA) vs. Larry Sorensen (23-10, 3.07 ERA)

Top of the 1st
Sorensen sets the top of the lineup down in order. St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 1st
Robin Yount leads off with a single, but Dick Davis grounds into a double play. Then Cecil Cooper launches one 335 feet over the left field fence. 1-0 Brewers. Thomas goes down swinging to end the inning. Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0

Top of the 2nd
Hernandez leads off the inning with a single, but Durham doubles him up. Hey, deja vu. Murphy, unfortunately, doesn't continue the trend. He strikes out swinging. Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 2nd
Vuke sets Ogilvie, Simmons and Leczano down in order. Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0

Top of the 3rd
Zisk strikes out, Nolan flies out. Ozzie singles, but is thrown out stealing. So much for Simmons' noodle arm. Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 3rd
Gantner singles. Don Money flies out. A passed ball puts Gantner on second. Yount and Davis ground out to end the inning. Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0

Top of the 4th
Henderson, Herr and Molitor all go down. Sorensen has faced the minimum batters so far. Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 4th
Cooper leads off with a single. Thomas strikes out. Ogilvie doubles, Cooper scoring. 2-0 Brewers. Simmons grounds out, Ogilvie to third. Leczano singles, Ogilvie scoring. 3-0 Brewers. Gantner flies out to end the inning. Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 0

Top of the 5th
Hernandez flies out to left. Durham drives it to right. It could be... is is! HOME RUN! 3-1 Brewers. Murphy up, and he... drives one to right... does it have the distance? It does! Home Run! 3-2 Brewers and we're back in this thing! Zisk flies out to right (not enough distance!) Nolan singles. Ozzie singles. Another rally? No, Henderson flies out. Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 2

Bottom of the 5th
Vuke allows a two-out single to Dick Davis, but that's it. Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 2

Top of the 6th
Herr, Molitor and Hernandez go down in order. Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 2

Bottom of the 6th
Thomas gets plunked. Oglivie flies out. Simmons walks. Leczano grounds out, runners advancing. Gantner grounds out. Whew. Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 2

Top of the 7th
Durham fly out, Murphy ground out, Zisk ground out. Damn. Someone's gotta score. Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 2

Bottom of the 7th
Don Money singles. Yount doubles, Money to third. Crap. Dick Davis works the count to 3-2, and then beats out an infield single, Money scoring. 4-2 Brewers. Runners on the corners with Cooper up to bat. And he... lines it to first! Hernandez catches Davis off the bag. Double play! Thomas grounds out. Still within striking distance. Milwaukee 4, St. Louis 2

Top of the 8th
Nolan flies out. Ozzie grounds out. Henderson grounds out. Jesus. Sorensen is owning us. Milwaukee 4, St. Louis 2

Bottom of the 8th
Vuke sets Oglivie, Simmons and Leczano down. Last chance. Milwaukee 4, St. Louis 2

Top of the 9th
Bill Castro comes in to get the save:

Tommy Herr, first pitch swinging, pops it up to short. One away.

Molitor, first pitch swinging, grounds out to short. Two away.

Hernandez. Ball one. 1-0.
Called strike. 1-1.
A groundball to second, and that's all she wrote.

Milwaukee wins Game One, 4-2.

[Snap Wilson]

WORLD SERIES, GAME TWO: John Martin (16-9, 3.94 ERA) vs. Moose Haas (14-16, 4.02 ERA)

Top of the 1st
Haas sets Henderson, Herr and Molitor down on five pitches total. Eep. St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 1st
Martin returns the favor, retiring Charlie Moore, Dick Davis and Cecil Cooper. St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 2nd
Haas continues to roll, as Hernandez, Durham and Murphy go down. St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 2nd
Thomas and Yount ground out. Lezcano gets the first hit of the game. Hisle grounds out. St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 3rd
Zisk singles. Nolan gets the team's first hit. Ozzie flies out and Rickey strikes out. Still scoreless. St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 3rd
Martin retires Money, Gantner and Moore in order. St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 4th
Herr grounds out. Molitor walks. Hernandez grounds out to third, but Gantner bobbles it! First and second. Durham walks. Bases loaded, no out. Murphy drives the first pitch to left. Could it be? Could it? It is! GRAND SLAM HOME RUN! Cardinals lead 4-0! Zisk singles, but Nolan doubles him up. St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 4th
Davis leads off with a double. Cooper singles, Davis to third. Uh-oh. Thomas singles, Davis scoring. 4-1 Cards. Martin strikes out Yount looking. A double steal moves up Cooper and Thomas. Lezcano flies out to short center. Both runners have to hold up. Hisle than grounds out to end the inning. St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 1

Top of the 5th
Ozzie leads off the inning with a single. He breaks for second and the catcher overthrows the base! Ozzie goes to third. Rickey grounds out to short, and Ozzie scores! 5-1 Cards. Herr grounds to second for the second out. Molitor singles and then steals second, but Hernandez grounds out to end the inning. St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Bottom of the 5th
Martin keeps rolling. Money, Gantner and Moore are meat. St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Top of the 6th
Murphy and Nolan hit a pair of singles, but no runs cross the plate. St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Bottom of the 6th
Davis leads off with a single. Cooper flies out. Thomas singles, Davis to second. Yount walks and the bases are filled. Crap crap crap. Lezcano... strikes out! Another clutch K for Martin. Hisle up to the plate and he... strikes out! Martin gets out of a jam. St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Top of the 7th
Henderson, Herr and Molitor go down quicker than a... wait, is this a family website? St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Bottom of the 7th
Money grounds out, Gantner grounds out, Moore grounds out. Martin rolls through the seventh. St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Top of the 8th
Hernandez leads of the inning with a single. Durham strikes out. Hernandez steals second. Murphy strikes out. Zisk walks. Nolan grounds out to second. St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Bottom of the 8th
Davis leads off with a single. I visit the mound with Martin and his response is less than enthusiastic so I bring in Littlefield. A great start by Martin. Cooper grounds out, Davis to second. Thomas grounds out, Davis to third. But Yount flies out to end the inning! St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Top of the 9th
Looks like the Moose is going all nine. He gets Ozzie, Henderson and Herr, and we head to the bottom of the inning. St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1

Bottom of the 9th
Lezcano leads off with a single. Hisle grounds out, Lezcano to second. Money works the count full and then strikes out. Two away! Gantner fouls off a ton of pitches before stroking a single to the right side. Lezcano comes around to score. Cards lead 5-2. I bring in Donnie Moore to pitch. A wild pitch sends Ganter to second. Oglivie pinch-hitting singles him home. 5-3 Cards. Okay, Donnie, time to get us an out. And he does: Davis grounds out to second.

Cardinals win the game 5-3. The series is tied 1-1.

[Snap Wilson]

WORLD SERIES, GAME THREE: Paul Mitchell (19-9, 3.68) vs. Len Barker (18-9, 3.37)
No drama in this one, unfortunately. The only pitch working for Barker was the longball, as he gave up eight runs in 1 and two-thirds innings. The Brewers hit three home runs off of Barker on their way to a 9-2 win.

Milwaukee wins Game Three 9-2. They lead the series 2-1.

[Snap Wilson]

WORLD SERIES, GAME FOUR: Larry Sorensen (23-10, 3.07 ERA) vs. Pete Vuckovich (20-8, 3.82 ERA)

Top of the 1st
Young leads off with a single. Simmons singles. Cooper draws a walk, loading the bases. Uh oh. A wild pitch (arrgh) sends Yount home and moves the runners up a base. 1-0 Brewers. Thomas grounds to short, Simmons scoring. 2-0 Brewers. Oglivie singles, bringing in Cooper. 3-0 Brewers. Vuckovich finally gets Lezcano and Gantner, but the damage is done. Brewers lead 3-0.

Bottom of the 1st
Henderson, Herr and Molitor go down in predictable order. Not sure what's happened to our hitting this series.

Top of the 2nd.
Vuke retires Money, Sorensen and Yount.

Bottom of the 2nd
Hernandez singles. Durham singles. Murphy flies out to center, Hernandez taking third. Durham is caught stealing second(!) Ugh, that's what I get for autosimming. What an idiotic move. Nolan predictably grounds out and we're still scoreless.

Top of the 3rd
Vuke allows a two-out single to Thomas, but that's it as he keeps the Brewers off the board. Still 3-0 Milwaukee.

Bottom of the 3rd
Ozzie leads off with a triple! He comes around to score on Vukovich's sac fly. 3-1 Brewers. Henderson lines out and Herr flies out, but we're on the board.

Top of the 4th
Vuke retires Lezcano, Money and Gantner in order.

Bottom of the 4th
Molitor leads off with a single but we can't move him around. Still 3-1.

Top of the 5th
Sorensen leads off with a single but Yount doubles him up. Simmons flies out to end the inning.

Bottom of the 5th
Nolan, Smith and Vuke go down in order.

Top of the 6th
Vuke sets Cooper, Thomas and Oglivie down in order.

Bottom of the 6th
Sorensen retires Henderson, Herr and Molitor. Desperation time here.

Top of the 7th
Money hits a two-out single, but that's it as the score remains 3-1.

Bottom of the 7th
Hernandez, Durham and Murphy go down in order. Help.

Top of the 8th
Yount leads off with a double, but gets caught stealing third. Still 3-1 Brewers.

Bottom of the 8th
Nolan, Smith and Vuckovich all ground out. Um, why didn't the computer hit for Vuke when we're trailing by two? Are you kidding?

Top of the 9th
Oglivie hits a solo home run to make the score 4-1. We need a killer bottom of the inning now.

Bottom of the 9th
And we don't get it. Castro comes in for the save and sets down Henderson, Herr and Molitor, again, in order. A recurring theme through this game.

Milwaukee wins Game Four, 4-1. They take a 3-1 series lead.

Utterly frustrating game, especially since the computer made a couple of monumentally stupid moves for me. I need to do some strategy tweaking, apparently. Otherwise, where did our bats go? Is Sorensen that good?

[Snap Wilson]

WORLD SERIES, GAME FIVE: Moose Haas (14-16, 4.02 ERA) vs. John Martin (16-9, 3.94 ERA)

Our season rests on the arm of our surprise left-hander. I feel better with him on the mound than my other two aces at this point. C'mon, Johnny, pitch us to another day.

Top of the 1st
Milwaukee going with a weird lineup. Charlie Moore flies out, Gantner strikes out, Cooper strikes out. Milwaukee 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 1st
Henderson, Herr and Molitor go down in order. At least they're consistent. Milwaukee 0, St. Louis 0

Top of the 2nd
Two out singles from Lezcano and Hisle, but Martin picks Lezcano off of second to end the inning. Nicely done. Milwaukee 0, St. Louis 0

Bottom of the 2nd
Keith leads off with a walk. He attempts to steal second (oh no) but Moore throws it away! Keith goes to third on the error. Murphy doubles, Keith scoring! Cardinals lead 1-0 and Murphy is officially "The Murph" again. St. Louis 1, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 3rd
Money leads off with a single, but gets gunned down on Haas's sac attempt. Moore than grounds into a DP. St. Louis 1, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 3rd
Martin, Henderson and Herr down in order. St. Louis 1, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 4th
Cooper singles, but Thomas doubles him up to end the inning. Martin is rolling. St. Louis 1, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 4th
Hernandez hits a one-out single. The Bull singles behind him and Hernandez goes to third. The Murph walks, loading the bases. Nolan flies to left for the second out. Ozzie draws a walk, bringing in Keith! Cardinals lead 2-0. Martin grounds out to end the inning. St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 5th
Yount leads off with a walk, but Lezcano doubles him up. The DP is really working for us today. Hisle flies to center. St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 5th
A Molitor single is all we get this inning. C'mon, guys, where's the offense? St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 6th
The pitcher, Haas, gets the only hit of the inning. Martin is coming through big time. St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 6th
Haas strikes out Durham and Murphy. Nolan singles, but Ozzie grounds out to end the inning. St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 7th
Martin plunks Cooper and issues a walk to Thomas. Yount grounds into a DP (what is that, our third? Fourth?), Cooper taking third. Lezcano grounds to first to end the threat. Two more innings, baby. St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 7th
Henderson walks, but Herr forces him at second and Molitor flies out. See previous complaints. St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 0

Top of the 8th
Three straight groundouts from Hisle, Money and Haas. Martin has been bang on. One more inning, baby. St. Louis 2, Milwaukee 0

Bottom of the 8th
Hernandez, Durham and Murphy all fly out. This has been a classic pitcher's duel. Last chance for Milwaukee.

Top of the 9th
Donnie Moore in to pitch. Okay, I'm scared. Oglivie pinch hits and flies out to right. One away. Simmons pinch hits and flies out to left. One more to go. Cooper grounds back to the pitcher, and that does it!

The St. Louis Cardinals win Game Five 2-0! The Brewers lead the series 3 games to 2.

Excellent, excellent clutch performance from our man Johnny Martin. He nutted up and delivered eight scoreless innings.

I really don't mind whatever happens from this point. I wanted to get at least two series wins. Right now I don't have much faith in Barker or Vuke (or the offense) to carry this home, but J-Mart has been inspirational.

[RoyalsBlue]

Clutch performance by Martin to keep the BrewCrew celebration at bay. Now the question is will you come back with Barker or possibly use Martinez or Forsch in game 6?